Horological Meandering

cazalea
[Seiko Moderator]
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If you bought a car as "exotic" as some watches

then you might have the same service experience with the car as with these watches.

I offer this only as I have experience with L***s, a reasonably successful engineering firm and a long-time, small-scale automaker (and former F1 World Champion).

While it's reassuring and quite fun to be able to speak to the president of the company, or to go to the factory and share a beer with the man who calibrated the suspension, or get an autograph from the designer, it's a pain when you have a small problem that they are unable to solve. Not unwilling, but unable to execute down through their recalcitrant dealer chain or across departments.

Years ago, I was told this company had bought back 2-3 samples of my car under the US Lemon Law provisions - unable to sort out the problem in 3 or 4 visits. In all those cases, it was due to water leaks. I can confirm that my car leaks like a sieve, but then I don't really care because of all the things it does well. However, I live where it hardly ever rains. But if I want to stop the leaks, a new set of rubber window and top seals are available - at over $1000!

I have had 3 of this brand before, and so am accustomed to pain and disappointment in their cosmetic features. As I say, I still appreciate the performance capabilities. But I've become convinced not to buy a new one, just because I would rather talk to a first owner, have a look at how the car has stood up to use for a couple years, etc. I'd rather someone else take care of the warranty relationship with the source. And I can't stand the local dealer.

In the watch industry, there are nowhere near enough service people or parts distribution channels. Monopoly is held by the manufacturers. (Only we know it, only we can service it, you can't touch it, you will ruin it, etc.) Also the products are fragile, the pipelines can be very long and very slow, etc. We don't know the relationships of our dealer with the factory rep, the working quotas or labor allocations at the factories, the inability to get existing orders out (much less produce spare parts to fix your watch), and so on.

Every watch that comes back is a declaration that all their design, QC, fine tolerances, attention to detail, etc FAILED. And they too FAILED. And so to keep one's morale up, addressing the FAILURE is put off til it's unavoidable. That's what I imagine, anyway.

I sound like an apologist, but I don't mean to be excusing any particular watch companies - just saying this is a complex, international business where customer service often does not call the shots in the home office or in the field. I don't see any particular reason that it will change.

Alas.

Mike